be a champ

4 years ago this month, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. it tore me apart. i was scared. actually, i was terrified. all i could think was that my mom was gonna die. i cried. i prayed. i prayed HARD. and i cried some more. and that was all within the first 15 minutes of finding out. i remember exactly when dad told me. and i remember seeing him cry. and then hugging my brother and crying with him too. i remember my other brother calling me to make sure i was okay. and the email he sent to family and friends asking for prayers and saying "God was good yesterday. He's good today. and He will be good tomorrow."

mom caught the cancer early. it was stage 1. that didn't make it any better. it was still cancer. the day of her surgery was long. we sat in the waiting room with family and friends. thank goodness for friends! their presence made things a little better. my dad was a nervous wreck. he tried to hide it, but it was written all over his face. we were all worried. worried about the surgery in general. worried about what the results were going to be. did they get it all? had it spread? our preacher was there first thing in the morning, but he had to leave. he showed back up that afternoon and we still didn't know anything. he prayed with us. we stood in a circle and held hands and prayed. and in that moment, i felt at peace.

right after he said "amen," the doctor came out and called us back into a private room. i can't even begin to describe how anxious i felt. my heart was pounding. i was shaking all over. i was trying to read the doctor's face and trying to tell what my dad was thinking, but it was impossible. finally, the doctor told us. everything went well. and the best news of all, the cancer had not spread anywhere!! we all smiled and hugged and then cried. what a huge relief! we walked back out to the waiting room to give all of our friends the great news. praise God. we went to the recovery room to see her and, of course, she was still out of it. my brothers and i left and when i did, i hugged my dad. he broke down in tears. but they were tears of relief that everything was going to be okay.

mom went home and recovered well. she had some physical therapy which really helped her regain range of motion in her arm again. the doctors repeatedly told mom that chemo would not be necessary, so everything was getting back to normal. and one day, i guess they changed their minds. instead of no chemo, mom would have to go through 4 phases that would last over a year. her hair would fall out. she would be laid up in bed for days. and she would get sick. but she would never complain. ever. she said she was going to auburn for the weekend of the auburn/alabama game. dad and i said no way. she won't ever make it. she laughed in our faces and "yes i will." and she did. auburn went to the capital one bowl that season in orlando. my brothers and i went down early and took the kids to disney world and then the game. she said she wanted to go disney world. she had a treatment on monday and was at disney world thursday. amazing.

i'm writing this to remember. to remember how hard that time in my life was. to remember how i totally put my trust in God. and that He was good yesterday, is good today, and will be good tomorrow. to remember how everything turned out okay in the end. and also to remember to be more like my mom. she is a CHAMP in every sense of the word. she may move slowly. she may get worn out and have to just take it easy for a day. but nothing can stop her. and nothing can get her down. not multiple sclerosis. not breast cancer. and i want to be more like her.